November 11, 2007  Sunday Afternoon

            Romans 6: 1-11 What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? By no means! We died to sin; how can we live in it any longer? Or don't you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were also baptized into his death? We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life. If we have been united with him like this in his death, we will certainly also be united with him in his resurrection. For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin- because anyone who has died has been freed from sin. Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. For we know that since Christ was raised from the dead, he cannot die again; death no longer has mastery over him. The death he died, he died to sin once for all; but the life he lives, he lives to God. In the same way count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus.

             These were the words spoken by Themba before Tilo and I were baptized this afternoon. We had a church service here at Alabanza at 10:00. I don't know if I mentioned it in previous blogs but my friend Kristin and I have been studying baptism and how we wanted to get baptized as an adult. Romans 6 had really stuck out to me when studying about it. When I was saved I was saying I wanted to die to my sin and have Christ forgive me, so I could have life in him. So I showed that symbolically again today. That I want God to make me into a new creation. I want to be clean before him.

            I was going to wait until I went to Jeffery's Bay in a few weeks so Kristin and I could be baptized in the ocean together. But this morning everyone was sharing passages and stuff during church. I opened my Bible up to Romans 6 and was about to share it, when all of a sudden Themba stands up and was like today we are going to do some baptisms. Tilo had asked him about it earlier I guess, ( Tilo is a young man that lives here in South Africa) I hadn't even thought about doing it today. But right as he said that, Kelly ( my discipleship leader, who planned on and did baptize me, looked at me and was like this is your day) So after the service, everyone gathered around the pool at Alabanza. Tilo and Themba got in the pool first, Themba read Romans 6 and asked Tilo if he was a believer. And he was baptized. Next was me, Kelly and I got into the pool( which was pretty cold btw) I stood in front of her, she asked me if I believed that I was one with Christ and if I professed him as my savior. I said " yes mam". She plugged my nose for me, leaned me back and said you were dead in sin as I went under and as I came up she said but you are ALIVE IN CHRIST! It was awesome. Everyone got around me and prayed for me after that. We celebrated with an amazing lunch.